Saturday, October 08, 2016
Master and Commander
A ship's captain on a British Man of War maintained the power of life and death over his men and at a time when a cruise might be up to five years and the only communication was by mail there was no appeal from his decisions. Ship's captains to this day retain the right to perform marriages. Discipline was harsh but considering the ranks were often filled by emptying the jails it had to be. Lads as young as twelve served on board as Midshipmen, officers in training.
The book upon which this movie is based borrows much from the story of Darwin and his sail to the Galopogos on the Beagle. The ship's doctor would have been the most educated man on board a ship after her captain. Men lived at very close quarters and watches measured in 8 bells rotated day and night. Sails were manually set, reefed, or stowed by men clinging to rat lines at great heights while the ship pitched at sea. Although rough seas held their perils and sea-sickness being becalmed with the threat of starvation and thirst when supplies ran out was even worse. In a damp marine environment before refrigeration meat was pickled and ship's biscuit and flour bred weavels.
Storms at sea and rough water are part and parcel of sailing. The deeper the water the greater the distance between waves, shallow water making for the most dangerous conditions. Sailing directly into the wind being impossible being caught on a lee shore or upwind from shoals made for perilous conditions and possible shipwreck. Lightening strikes on tall masts were a hazard. A man overboard was in grave danger when a ship could not stop or reverse course.
Without invoking spoilers all the above figure in the movie here reviewed. Whereas the storms and waves that toss the Surprise would turn most landlubbers green, especially if viewed on a large screen; the conditions rounding the Horn were mild compared with the real thing. Aside from discomfort the build-up of ice and snow on a ship poses a weight problem and imbalance making the ship top-heavy.
Casting Aussie Russell Crowe as ship's Captain is an interesting choice given the number of people transported there for crime.
